• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 2001

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of marbling and maturity on physicochemical properties of Hanwoo meat during cold storage. A total of 18 carcasses were collected by marbling and maturity score at the commercial slaughter house. Loins of carcasses were selected and moved to laboratory and used to measure physico-chemical characteristics during 7 weeks storage at $0^{\circ}C$. The pH of samples was tended to be increased until 3 weeks storage. The water holding capacity of samples was not affected by marbling and maturity score. Lightness value of all samples was not changed, whereas redness value of high marbling samples was significantly(p<0.05) higher than that of low marbling samples. Purge loss of high marbling samples was significantly(p<0.05) lower than that of low marbling samples. These results indicate that high marbling and low maturity has better meat quality than low marbling and high maturity in Hanwoo.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1083-1088
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• 2012

The breeding value of marbling score in skeletal muscle is an important factor for evaluating beef quality. In the present study, we investigated proteins associated with the breeding value of the marbling score for bovine sirloin to select potential biomarkers to improve meat quality through comparative proteomic analysis. Proteins isolated from muscle were separated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. After analyzing images of the stained gel, seven protein spots for the high marbling score group were identified corresponding to changes in expression that were at least two-fold compared to the low marbling score group. Four spots with increased intensities in the high marbling score group were identified as phosphoglycerate kinase 1, triosephophate isomerase, acidic ribosomal phosphoprotein PO, and capping protein (actin filament) Z-line alpha 2. Spots with decreased intensities in the high marbling score group compared to the low score group were identified as 14-3-3 epsilon, carbonic anhydrase II, and myosin light chain 1. Expression of myosin light chain 1 and carbonic anhydrase 2 was confirmed by Western blotting. Taken together, these data could help improve the economic performance of cattle and provide useful information about the underlying the function of bovine skeletal muscle.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.196-203
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• 2022

Objective: This study compared differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between groups with high and low numbers of fine marbling particles (NFMP) in the longissimus thoracis muscle (LT) of Korean cattle to understand the molecular events associated with fine marbling particle formation. Methods: The size and distribution of marbling particles in the LT were assessed with a computer image analysis method. Based on the NFMP, 10 LT samples were selected and assigned to either high- (n = 5) or low- (n = 5) NFMP groups. Using RNA sequencing, LT transcriptomic profiles were compared between the high- and low-NFMP groups. DEGs were selected at p<0.05 and |fold change| >2 and subjected to functional annotation. Results: In total, 328 DEGs were identified, with 207 up-regulated and 121 down-regulated genes in the high-NFMP group. Pathway analysis of these DEGs revealed five significant (p<0.05) Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathways; the significant terms included endocytosis (p = 0.023), protein processing in endoplasmic reticulum (p = 0.019), and adipocytokine signaling pathway (p = 0.024), which are thought to regulate adipocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia. The expression of sirtuin4 (p<0.001) and insulin receptor substrate 2 (p = 0.043), which are associated with glucose uptake and adipocyte differentiation, was higher in the high-NFMP group than in the low-NFMP group. Conclusion: Transcriptome differences between the high- and low-NFMP groups suggest that pathways regulating adipocyte hyperplasia and hypertrophy are involved in the marbling fineness of the LT.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.606-614
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• 2018

It is important to understand how marbling traits and tenderness differ among beef steaks from the carcass grading site and other regions within the longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle, as these characteristics are closely associated with consumer acceptability and willingness to purchase. Thus, the aim of this study was to compare the marbling fleck traits and objective tenderness parameters in the groups classified by the coarseness index (CI) of marbling fleck (high and low groups) at the carcass grading site ($13^{th}$ thoracic vertebra; 13T) and three different locations (13T, 9T, and 6T) within the LT muscle from well-marbled (marbling score 7 to 9) Hanwoo steer. Image analysis showed that the longitudinal locations had a significant effect on marbling fleck traits. The total area of large marbling fleck divided by the total marbling area (coarseness) was higher at the central region (13T to 12T) compared to the front thoracic region (6T to 5T) in the high CI group (0.23 vs. 0.17, p<0.05), whereas no significant differences were observed in the total number of marbling fleck within the LT muscle in the high or low CI groups (p>0.05). Location effect on objective tenderness parameters within the LT muscle was somewhat limited, although the high CI group had a lower Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBS) value than did the low group (p<0.05). Taken together, the degree of coarseness of marbling fleck decreased from the carcass grading site to the front thoracic site, whereas the objective tenderness parameters, including WBS and hardness, of the grading site did not differ from the other regions within the LT muscle.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.158-165
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• 2015

Marbling is an important trait regarding the quality of beef. Analysis of beef cattle transcriptome and its expression profile data are essential to extend the genetic information resources and would support further studies on beef cattle. RNA sequencing was performed in beef cattle using the Illumina High-Seq2000 platform. Approximately 251.58 million clean reads were generated from a high marbling (H) group and low marbling (L) group. Approximately 80.12% of the 19,994 bovine genes (protein coding) were detected in all samples, and 749 genes exhibited differential expression between the H and L groups based on fold change (>1.5-fold, p<0.05). Multiple gene ontology terms and biological pathways were found significantly enriched among the differentially expressed genes. The transcriptome data will facilitate future functional studies on marbling formation in beef cattle and may be applied to improve breeding programs for cattle and closely related mammals.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1314-1320
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• 2019

This study aimed to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms in exon 8 region of the calmin (CLMN) gene and to evaluate their associations with meat yield and quality traits in Hanwoo (Korean cattle). We compared gene expression pattern of CLMN between high and low marbling score groups with extremely different intramuscular fat content of the longissimus lumborum muscles in Hanwoo. The CLMN gene was highly expressed in the high marbling score group. Total of nine SNPs were identified in the exon 8 region of CLMN gene, genotyping of the SNPs was carried out using direct-sequencing analysis in Hanwoo population (n=300) to evaluate their association with meat yield and quality traits. As a result, g.23249G>C in exon 8 was significantly associated with marbling score. Animals with the CC and GC genotypes had higher marbling score than those with the GG genotype. We constructed haplotypes of CLMN gene by linkage disequilibrium analysis and analyzed association between haplotypes and meat yield and quality traits. Haplotype of CLMN gene was associated with marbling score. As a result, animals with the CC-CC haplotype (g.23249G>C and g.23465T>C SNPs) had higher marbling score than those with CT and GT haplotypes. These findings suggest that the SNPs of bovine CLMN gene may be a useful molecular marker for selection of meat quality traits in Hanwoo.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.40 no.6
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• pp.924-937
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• 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the meat metabolite profiles related to differences in beef quality attributes (i.e., high-marbled and low-marbled groups) using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The beef of different marbling scores showed significant differences in water content and fat content. High-marbled meat had mainly higher taste compounds than low-marbled meat. Metabolite analysis showed differences between two marbling groups based on partial least square discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). Metabolites identified by PLS-DA, such as N,N-dimethylglycine, creatine, lactate, carnosine, carnitine, sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine, betaine, glycine, glucose, alanine, tryptophan, methionine, taurine, tyrosine, could be directly linked to marbling groups. Metabolites from variable importance in projection plots were identified and estimated high sensitivity as candidate markers for beef quality attributes. These potential markers were involved in beef taste-related pathways including carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. Among these metabolites, carnosine, creatine, glucose, and lactate had significantly higher in high-marbled meat compared to low-marbled meat (p<0.05). Therefore, these results will provide an important understanding of the roles of taste-related metabolites in beef quality attributes. Our findings suggest that metabolomics analysis of taste compounds and meat quality may be a powerful method for the discovery of novel biomarkers underlying the quality of beef products.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.427-433
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• 2012

The present study was performed to investigate long-term effects of the low-crude protein and lysine (low CP/lys) diet and a yeast culture supplemented to the low CP/lys diet on growth and carcass characteristics in growing-finishing pigs. Forty-five gilts and 45 barrows weighing approximately 25 kg born to Yorkshire ${\times}$ Landrace dams and Duroc sires were allocated to nine pens, with five gilts and five barrows assigned per pen. Every three pens received CP/lys-rich grower and finisher diets (control), low CP/lys grower and finisher (basal), or the low CP/lys grower and finisher supplemented (2%) with a yeast culture providing $3.2{\times}10^8$ Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells/kg diet (yeast) for 31 and 79 days, respectively. The ADG was less in the low CP/lys (basal + yeast) group than in the control group (P<0.01) during both grower (0.59 vs. 0.70 kg) and finisher (0.75 vs. 0.89 kg) phases. However, marbling score was greater (P<0.05) in the low CP/lys group vs. control (3.86 vs. 3.12) at slaughter, which resulted in a twice percentage of the $1^+$-quality grade carcasses in the former compared with that for the latter. Supplementation of the yeast culture to the basal diet caused a decrease in ADG during the grower phase (P<0.01), but not during the finisher phase (0.64 vs. 0.53 kg and 0.73 vs. 0.77 kg for the basal vs. yeast group during the grower and finisher phases, respectively), without influencing the marbling score or percentage of the $1^+$-quality grade carcasses. In conclusion, results indicate that long-term provision of the low CP/lys diet has a beneficial effect on marbling and carcass quality grade as well as a negative effect on weight gain and that the yeast culture supplemented to the low CP/lys diet has no beneficial effect on weight gain or carcass quality.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.635-638
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• 2003

Japanese Black cattle (Wagyu) are fed for a long period to produce high quality beef, however, extended feeding often causes inefficiency and greater environmental load mainly derived from their manure. The objectives of this study were to analyze changes in feeding length by listing breeding values (BVs) at calf markets and the relationships between BVs and carcass characteristics of 4,052 Japanese Black cattle, and to examine the feasibility of optimizing feeding length by referring to listed BVs. BV classes A, B, and C were defined based on BVs of cows in Shimane Prefecture as follows: an upper quarter of BVs was classified as A, a second quarter as B, and under the average as C. For cattle sold at calf markets in the first term of 1996, just before the start of BV listing, the feeding length of cattle with class B BVs for the beef marbling standard (BMS) was longer (p>0.05) than that of class A cattle. However, in the second term of 1996, just after the start of BV listing, the feeding length of class B cattle became shorter (p<0.001) than that of class A cattle. Then, the feeding lengths of both classes showed no significant differences. Feeding lengths of both class A and B BVs for carcass weight (CW) changed similarly to the corresponding BV classes for BMS. The analysis of the relationships among the listed BV classes and the actual carcass characteristics showed that class A cattle had a higher (p<0.001) BMS than class B cattle, and that the higher-class cattle had a heavier CW (p<0.05). On the basis of previous reports, the cattle, particularly those with lower genetic marbling ability, seem to only increase marbling at markedly low efficiency for a few months before slaughter. Therefore, the finding that carcass characteristics corresponded to their class of BVs suggests that an optimum feeding length based on listed BVs not only increases the efficiency of beef production, but also reduces the environmental load.

• BMB Reports
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• v.41 no.12
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• pp.846-851
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• 2008

This study was conducted to identify marbling-related candidate genes in M. longissimus dorsi of high- and low-marbled Hanwoo. The longissimus dorsi muscles were selected for gene expression from eight Hanwoo steer carcasses based on crude fat content. In the analysis of variance, gene expression of five candidate genes, FABP4, SCD, $PPAR\gamma$, Titin and Nebulin was determined to be significantly different between high- and low-marbled Hanwoo steers (P < 0.0001). The Pik-4 and CaMK II genes were also shown to have a significant effect on crude fat content (P < 0.01). In the analysis of the differential expression between high- and low marbled groups, FABP4 gene expression was approximately 2 times higher in the high marbled group relative to the low marbled group. However, the $PPAR\gamma$ and SCD gene were highly expressed in the low marbled group. In addition, Titin and Nebulin were highly expressed in the low marbled group when placed under relatively high shear force. Finally, the Pik-4 and CaM K II gene also displayed a high expression pattern in the low marbled group.